The Official B/R NBA Re-Draft: 1st Round Results

How does LeBron James end up back on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kobe Bryant on the Atlanta Hawks and Blake Griffin on the Boston Celtics?

That can only happen when a select group of 30 NBA writers and super-fans get together and participate in the first official NBA Re-Draft.

Completely redistributing all of the league’s talent across the 30 current teams, these basketball minds built 12-man rosters geared to compete with each other during the 2012-2013 season in a magical world where injuries are suddenly healed before the first game.

The Process

Once all 30 participants had selected which teams they would control, a random number generator determined the order of the draft (although I guarantee you that Jesse Dorsey will think it was rigged).

The 12 rounds proceeded in a snake format. For those of you unfamiliar with the fantasy lingo, that means that the 30th team in the first round picked first in the second round. Essentially, the draft order snakes back and forth to allow for a more even playing field.

The 30 of us selected 12-man rosters, keeping quite a few things in mind:

1. We were only concerned with the 2012-13 season, so how these players develop in the future is completely and utterly irrelevant. A player is only as good as he'll be during the next campaign.

2. Team fit does matter. The players selected should be able to work well together, and playing styles should not clash.

3. Injuries—like Derrick Rose's ACL—are automatically healed for the start of the season. However, injury-prone players do remain injury-prone.

4. We can form whatever type of team we wanted. If someone wanted five centers in his starting lineup, well then, that was his prerogative.

5. Players are only eligible if they're going to play in the NBA next season. Foreign players, collegiate athletes and retired stars are not available to be selected.

These are the results of the first round, from pick No. 1 to pick No. 30.

You can check back soon for the results of the entire draft, team-by-team breakdowns and the official projected standings.

He is smart, hard-working, humble and an extraordinary basketball player.

What really drew us to Kevin is his demeanor both on and off the floor, and we really liked how he approaches every game. He takes nothing for granted and understands that he is very fortunate to be in this position.

We are looking forward to building a winning team around Kevin for years to come, and we have nothing but the greatest expectations for Kevin as he continues to develop as a basketball player.

I wanted to draft someone who would perpetuate the values of versatility and unselfishness, and there was no one better to select than Chris Paul.

He's an outstanding passer, phenomenal scorer and is incredibly quick and calculated on the defensive end.

He carried the New Orleans Hornets on his back for the better part of a decade and transformed the Los Angeles Clippers into a relevant squad, all because he can make a significant impact in every aspect of the game.

Every team needs at least one star, and I wanted to ensure mine was a perennial All-Star in his prime, with plenty of accolades left in him.

The theory behind picking Dwight Howard fifth overall is simple: Truly great centers win championships. From Bill Russell, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to Wilt Chamberlain, to Moses Malone, to Shaquille O'Neal, elite centers have proven to be the ideal building block for a team.

Given that track record, this was an extremely easy decision.

With Howard just now entering his prime as the most dominant big man since Shaq, he affects the way teams play more than any player in the league.

He is fully capable of putting a team on his back and carrying it to a title, and I was absolutely thrilled that he was still available when my pick came around.

Kevin Love's 2011-12 season was one of the best we've seen from a power forward in ages. He has become one of the most unstoppable offensive big men in the league with his ability to score from anywhere on the court.

With my first pick, I wanted a franchise-caliber big man who could lock down the glass and score the basketball.

Over the last two seasons, Love has proven that he can be a leader out on the court and has all the skills necessary to be the centerpiece of a great team.

My first-round pick was a tough decision between Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant, but when it came down to it—even in a one-season setting—Westbrook’s youth and upside won out.

Already a star by any measure, Westbrook’s contributions to the Oklahoma City Thunder often get overlooked by media critical of his inconsistent play, but when he has the ball in his hands with room to operate, he can be as dangerous as any player in the league.

Thus, at least offensively, I’ve built my team around generating these opportunities for Westbrook.

I was fully prepared to take one of the UCLA products at No. 8 and was shocked—in a positive way, of course—when Kobe Bryant was left for me.

The first pick in the re-draft should be reserved for a player who can help lead a squad to a championship. The Black Mamba has proven that he can do so multiple times.

Even at his advanced age, Kobe is still a sensational scorer and a plus defender when he puts his mind to it.

Given the relative dearth of quality shooting guards in the league—Kobe, Dwyane Wade, Joe Johnson, Eric Gordon, James Harden, Kevin Martin and Monta Ellis are the only ones that come to mind—and the fact that Kobe is still playing at an All-Star level with the weight of the Los Angeles Lakers universe on his shoulders, this was an easy choice.

If the last couple of years of Blake Griffin's career have taught us anything, it's that he's a fast and willing learner.

He took less shots in his second season than his first to help the Clippers mesh. As a result, his raw statistics went down, but his efficiency improved.

He's playing a much smarter game and is taking better shots. He's learning and advancing extremely quickly, and when he establishes the threat of a jump shot and improves his footwork in the post, he'll be one of the most difficult players to defend in the game.

Considering both the season that the San Antonio Spurs put together last year and the way that Tony Parker carried that team, you could have given him the MVP trophy.

Because he plays at this level basically every game, he's the perfect middle-of-the-first-round pick in this NBA re-draft. With the other "superstar" point guards off the board, I felt like he was the perfect guy to build a team around.

His offensive game is unorthodox and difficult to guard, and he works hard on the defensive end as well.

The way he gets into the lane frees up the other players on my team to shoot or dive to the basket.

Some of the picks before me might have been better players, but Dirk was the right selection due to his experience, ability to perform in the clutch and the fact that the goal of the team was to perform well over one season.

If it had been a “would you build your team around him in the future," Dirk likely wouldn’t have been selected until a later round.

That being said, I believe he’s got a few more great seasons in him, therefore justifying this selection.

He essentially has no weaknesses, and at the age of 19, became a team leader with averages of 21.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per 36 minutes of play.

Irving was the most impressive player on the USA Olympic Select Team, and his shooting line of 47/40/87 from the field, three-pointers and free throws is higher than Olympic guard Deron Williams for his career.

21. Indiana Pacers: Greg Monroe

I wanted to build from the inside out, but wasn't sure that my guy would still be around by the time I picked at No. 21.

There are plenty of great point guards out there, and wing scorers are the easiest commodity to find, but superstar big men are truly rare.

So I was absolutely ecstatic to get Greg Monroe. I can't fathom how he was still on the board with guys like Tony Parker, David Lee and Kyrie Irving having already been chosen. Those are all fine players, but they're replaceable.

Monroe is the definition of a building block. His footwork, athleticism, size, mobility, toughness and ability to play either the 4 or 5 are exactly what I wanted. By comparison, Monroe offered 90 percent of Andrew Bynum's production at 20 percent of the price last season.

He's only 22, and I would have even taken him five to seven picks earlier...

Rudy Gay is more than capable of leading a team to an NBA championship since he can thrive in both fast-break and half-court offenses.

He is a very consistent scorer, averaging between 18.9 and 20.1 points per game over the past five seasons, and always comes through for his team in clutch situations.

He has also become an excellent rebounder for a small forward, increasing his rebounding average each season over the past four years. Last season, he was fifth in the NBA for small forwards with 6.4 rebounds per game.

Besides his offense, Gay is an excellent defender, finishing fourth in the NBA for small forwards in both steals and blocked shots.

As the first round was going by, I have to admit I was getting pretty nervous. Then, Steve Nash fell from the heavens as a major steal with the No. 24 pick.

The best teams in the NBA have the best playmakers, and Steve Nash is one of the best playmakers in league history.

He virtually guarantees that my team will average 100 points with his infectious passing and unselfish play. Teams that can score efficiently win in the playoffs, and a team with Steve Nash should have no problem scoring.

His defense worries me, but I figured I could make up for it with later draft picks.

26. Milwaukee Bucks: Tyson Chandler

The 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year is a proven winner who brings intangibles to both ends of the court.

In addition to Tyson Chandler's physical post defense, he's an agile 7-footer who can run the floor and put pressure on opposing bigs.

While alley-oops are his primary offensive weapon, he makes up for it on the other end, where he'll save Milwaukee by locking down the paint. His energy and leadership will turn this franchise into a contender.

27. Detroit Pistons: DeMarcus Cousins

DeMarcus Cousins has the raw ability to be the best big man in the NBA. He's 6'11" and 270 pounds with the power to back down and dominate any low-post defender.

He also has the quickness to beat an athletic 4 off the dribble, as well as the shooting range to hit a jump shot as far as the three-point line.

DMC is a franchise player whose greatest flaw is his maturity. With a slew of experienced and quality players to be selected around him, the Detroit Pistons will see Cousins reach his superstar potential.

28. Sacramento Kings: Chris Bosh

Drafting at No. 28 in the first round, I knew I wasn’t going to get a superstar and had my eye on other guys, but I was thrilled to land Chris Bosh this late.

Looking at some of the picks before we selected, I feel fortunate to add a seven-time All-Star who is only 28 years old. Bosh has nearly averaged a double-double (19.8 points and 9.1 rebounds) throughout his career and has a ton of good basketball left in him.

He will have to play the 5 on this team, but Bosh showed he could do that at a high level in Miami and has a ring to show for it.

After two years of being the forgotten superstar in South Beach, Bosh can get back to being a true superstar on this team. He’s not LeBron James or Kevin Durant, but he’s a star you can build around.